North Myrtle Beach shakes off pesky Carvers Bay squad late
Traditionally, a team’s home opener is a game that is easily won to start the home slate on a positive note. For North Myrtle Beach, Friday night’s game against Carvers Bay wasn’t easy, but the home fans went home happy as the Chiefs (4-0) rolled up a 40-21 win against the Bears (2-2).
Carvers Bay came into the contest as the fourth-ranked team in Class 2A, and played like a team that advanced deep into the playoffs last season, minus an early miscue. The Bears fumbled on their first offensive play, but played tough defense to hold North Myrtle Beach scoreless off the turnover.
On its second offensive possession, Carvers Bay marched down the field for the game’s first score, a 1-yard run by quarterback Janaz Sumpter. The Chiefs would respond with their strong passing attack, as junior quarterback Cason McClendon found Tyler Gore for a 20 yard touchdown.
North Myrtle Beach found the end zone on the first play of the second quarter as Kered Class scored his first of three touchdowns.
A Toronto King score pulled Carvers Bay even, before McClendon and Gore hooked up once more to give North Myrtle Beach a 20-14 halftime lead.
In the second half, North Myrtle Beach showed why it is the third ranked team in Class AAAA, putting on an offensive clinic.
“We came out and played balanced, the way we wanted to play,” said North Myrtle Beach head coach Matt Reel. “Carvers Bay is a good team, a team that knows what they like to do and does it well. We were able to move the ball through the air and on the ground and our defensive guys did a good job, especially in the second half.”
In the second half, Carvers Bay would take a lead in the third quarter, stopping North Myrtle Beach on the opening drive of the second half, then marching 93 yards in nearly five minutes of game time to take a 21-20 lead.
The North Myrtle Beach defense took control from there, preventing the Bear offense from scoring, while the Chief offense took the lead in the game with a pair of Class touchdown runs and a score on the ground from McClendon.
Carvers Bay would try to throw its way back in the game, something coach Nate Thompson never wants to do.
“Give them the credit, North Myrtle Beach made some changes to the defense in the second half and made us throw the ball,” he said. “We’re not a team that likes to throw it a lot, we want to be balanced with the throw and pass. We’ve got a good quarterback and two tailbacks, so we like to give all of those guys a chance to carry the ball. We made some mistakes and when you’re playing against a bigger team, you can’t make those mistakes or you won’t win.”
Turning point
The clock struck midnight on Carvers Bay’s Cinderella story when the game got to the fourth quarter. North Myrtle Beach would double its scoring output from the first three quarters in the final frame, putting up 20 points to pull away from the Bears. Kered Class would find the end zone twice to ice the game for the Chiefs.
Key performers
Kered Class: One in a stable of North Myrtle Beach running backs, Class took control of the rushing attack to the tune of 60 yards and three scores to keep the Chiefs perfect on the season.
Tyler Gore: Keeping the Carvers Bay defense honest all night, Gore took the top off the defense to make running room for his North Myrtle Beach teammates. He also found his way into the end zone twice, hooking up with Cason McClendon twice from 20-plus yards.
Janaz Sumpter: Leading his team in a hard-fought defeat, Sumpter put up a rushing and passing score, while playing defensive back for his Carvers Bay team.
By the numbers
5
Carvers Bay fumbled the ball five times against North Myrtle Beach, losing three to give the Chiefs a short field each time.
3
North Myrtle Beach had two players responsible for three touchdowns each, Cason McClendon with two passing and one rushing; and Kered Class with three on the ground.
284
Carvers Bay piled up 284 total yards of offense, 200 rushing, and held the ball for nearly 25 minutes of the game.
They said it
“I’m happy that I was able to step up when my team needed me and score to help us get the win. This is more about the team, we’re a family and I’m happy to be part of this for my last ride as a senior.” – Kered Class, North Myrtle Beach running back
“We had a really good second half; our team made some adjustments and locked in. That’s what you expect from a mature team like we have.” North Myrtle Beach head coach Matt Reel
“Every year we try to play tougher competition to make our team tougher. North Myrtle Beach is a great program and a tough opponent. We gave them everything we could tonight and we’ll be better for it.” Carvers Bay coach Nate Thompson
Up next
Carvers Bay: vs. Andrews
North Myrtle Beach: vs. Socastee
CB | 7 | 7 | 7 | 0 | — | 21 |
NMB | 7 | 13 | 0 | 20 | — | 40 |
First quarter
CB – Janaz Sumpter 1 yard run (Extra point good) 6:27
NMB – Cason McClendon 20 yard pass to Tyler Gore (Zane Smith kick good) 2:24
Second quarter
NMB – Kered Class 3 yard run (Smith kick good) 11:53
CB – Toronto King 4 yard run (Extra point good) 1:41
NMB – McClendon 21 yard pass to Tyler Gore (Smith kick failed) 00:07
Third quarter
CB – Sumpter 5 yard pass to Andre Marks (Extra point good) 3:09
Fourth quarter
NMB – McClendon 4 yard run (2 point conversion failed) 7:50
NMB – Class 1 yard run (Smith kick good) 4:32
NMB – Cass 2 yard run (Smith kick good) 00:11
Individual leaders
Rushing: CB – Toronto King 13-84 TD. NMB – Kered Class 15-60 3TD.
Passing: CB – Janaz Sumpter 4-14-84-1-0. Cason McClendon 9-22-169-2-0.
Receiving: CB – Dijon Goss 1-61. NMB – Tyler Gore 3-81 2TD
This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 12:01 AM with the headline "North Myrtle Beach shakes off pesky Carvers Bay squad late."